SOLVED: The Complete Guide To Icons on Android Devices

Android cell phones, tablets and Chromebooks are now fully featured devices and they have a substantial number of sometimes confusing notification icons. We regularly receive requests from visitors about what the icons on their various Android devices mean so we invested a day researching all of the current Android icons we could track down. 

We have also included a brief explanation of what each icon means, so you can quickly identify them and take the appropriate action. Additionally, we have included PaperHelp.org review at Academichelp.net, a popular online writing service, to provide you with additional resources for your Android device.  It is important to use free VPN for Android to increase security and protect your privacy online.

For beginners, the single graphic below will explain most of the common icons.

However, there are a myriad of other Android icons that sit in the notification bar at the top of your screen and here is the most complete list of explanations we could create.

If you want to search through these press F3 on your keyboard and
type in a keyword like “eye” or “arrow”

Key Icon on Angle - Phone As A Key For Your Vehicle Possibly From Ford
Rectangular Icon Like a Phone - Portait Mode Enables - Auto-Rotate is Disabled
5G UW Icon - 5G Ultra Wide - Connected to Verizons Fastest 5G Network
5G UC Icon - 5G Ultra Capacity - Connected to T-Mobiles Fastest 5G Network
Phone handset with 4G – Voice Traffice is going over 4G Network
Vertical bars getting larger to the right - Cellular signal strength indicator
Up arrow with horizontal line under it icon Something is being uploaded
Down arrow with horizontal bar at he bottom - Cell is downloading something
Check mark with line under it - Download Complete - Swipe down from top to see what downloaded
Horizontal Left and Right Arrows - Voice over LTE as opposed to voice going over a 3G network
Screen with a down arrow inside icon - A system update is available
Triangle with up and down arrows inside it - Some apps have restricted data usage aka Data Saver Mode
Vo)) LTE - Voice over LTE instead of 3G Network
Triangle with up and down arrows - Data limit has been reached according to your service provider
Triangle pointing right icon - Music player is on
Triangle icon - Cell is connected to a network different than your contracted company aka Roaming is enabled
Thought bubble with C inside it - ChatOn app is active
Tape icon - Voicemail has been received
T with a curved top aka Tesla icon - Tesla app is active
Steering Wheel aka Circle with three lines to center triangle icon - Driving mode aka hands free is enabled
Square with number 1 icon - Scheduled item from calendar is happening now
Square with M inside and second icon behind - Gmail has received more than one email
Square with M inside - Gmail has received a single message
Speaker with diagonal line through it and waves on each side - Notifications with vibrate but not provide audible alerts
Speaker with line through it and wave to the right - Phone is muted and will not provide audible alerts
Speaker with a lin through it - No audible alerts aka Silent Mode
Rectangle cell with two lines on each side - Alerts vibrate the phone of haptic feedback is on
Phone Reciever With Line Through It and Alarm Lines - Silent Mode is enabled - Audible alerts are disabled
Shopping bags on angle icon - Samsung Apps have updates
Shopping bag with right facing triangle inside icon - Google Play Store has updates to the apps installed on your cell
Shopping bag with checkmark inside -Google PlayStore has successfully downloaded and installed an app
Sheild icon with horizontal curved lines inside icon - aka lookout icon - a security notice has been received
SIM card with X in front - SIM card is not deteded
Card missing corner with X in box icon – Something is wrong with your SIM or SD Memory Card - Remove & Reinsert it to Fix
SD Card with exclamation mark icon - Something is wrong with your SD Memory Card
SIM card with exclamation mark to the right - SIM card is not detected
SIM card with exclamation mark in a circle - SIM card is not detected
SD Card with cog inside it icon - SD card is being prepared
SD card icon - SD Memory card has been unmounted and is now safe to remove without needing to power down
Satellite dish with Curves to the top right icon - Devices GPS is active
S in oblong circle aka Samsung long - Notification about your Samsung Account has been received
Rectangle with eye waves icon - Your screen is being duplicated on an external monitor or TV aka screen mirroring
Rectangle with corner missing and red X in the middle - SIM Card missing - Used by Verizon
R with an airplane icon - Cell is connected to a network different than your contraced company aka Roaming is enabled
Airplane Icon - Airplane mode - Cellular connections disabled
Airplane Icon - Phone is in Airplane Mode
Recangle with mountains inside - A screenshot has been captured
Printer icon - Print job is in process
Pitch fork pointing up icon aka USB- Device it teathered using USB
Phone handset with horizontal lines under it icon - Device is conencted to a TTY as an accesibility feature
Phone handset on angle with two virtical bars icon - Call is on hold
Phone handset on angle with right arrow icon - Call Forwarding is active
Phone handset on angle with curved waves to the right icon - Call is on speakerphone
Phone handset on angle with A and circle slash icon - All calls or calls from a Reject List are being automtically regected
Phone handset on angle icon - Call is active
Phone handset horizontal with bent arrow above it icon - You missed a call
Phone handset horizontal icon - Call has ended
Pencil icon - Samsung S Pen has been detected
N icon - Near Field Communication NFC is enabled - this is used for Tap applications
Microphone with slash through it icon - You microphone is set to mute
Microphone inside box icon - Voice Recorder is recording
Microphone icon - Voice input is enabled
Mail envelope with right arrow icon - Email is being sent
Mail envelope with circle and exclamation mark icon - Text MMS message failed to send
Mail envelope icon - New message has been received
Mail envelope with @ sign icon - Email has been received
LTE Plus with up and down arrows under it icon - LTE plus data network is in use
Lock with exclamation mark inside triange - Device lock has not been setup - like a password pin or face recognition
Lock with door behind icon - Private Mode is enabled
Lightning bolt icon - Download booster enabled - both Wifi and Cellular being used for Downloads
Light Bulb icon - Camera LED light is on aka flashlight
Left Pointing Arrow with Plus sign in the middle icon - More notifications available - too many to display here
Keyboard icon - touch screen keyboard is on
Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with question mark inside - a WiFi network has been detected but not connected to
Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with question mark in circle icon - a WiFi network has been detected but not connected to
Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with clock in circle icon - WiFi timer has been set
Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with arrows on each side pointing in - WiFi is connecting to another device aka WiFi Direct mode
Horizontal Curves expanding upwards icon with different background color - WiFi is active
Horizontal Curves expanding upwards icon - Device is acting as a hotspot allowing other devices to use its internet connection
Semicircles with Dot In the Middle - Wireless Hot Spot Enabled
Horizontal curved lines with up and down arrows to the right icon - Device is connected to WiFi and up and down arrows show upload and download usage
WiFi Icon With Plus Sign and Arrows - WiFi Calling is Enabled = Voice calls use WiFi instead of Celluar Network
Headphones icon - Earphones are connected
Head with waves to the right icon - Voice Recorder is recording
Hand icon - Device will voice what is on the screen aka Talk Back mode
H with plus sign to the right icon - Device is connected to an enhanged 3G network
Funnel with black circle aka Here icon - GPS is enabled
Film with right facing triangle in the middle icon - Video is playing
Eye icon - Smart Screen is enabled allowing the device to stay on when it thinks you are near - aka Smart Stay
Eye Icon - Screen Sharing Team Viewer
Eye Icon - Smart Stay Is Enabled - Screen Turns Off When You Are Not Looking At It
Circular arrows with an exclaimation mark inside the middle - Syncronization Error detected
Circular arrows with an exclaimation mark inside a circle - Syncronization Error detected
Circular arrows icon - Synchronization is working
Circle with whole in it and small cirle to the left with exclamation mark to the right icon - your storage disk is full
Circle with line up down right and left and circle in the middle - GPS is transmitting
Circle with line up down right and left - GPS is acquiring a signal from satalites
Circle with horizontal line icon -Blocking mode enabled - only calls from those on appoved list are allowed
Circle with Smaller Circle Inside it Like a CD - Focus Mode is On
Circle with Smaller Circle Inside it Like a CD - Focus Mode is On
Circle with diagonal slash through it aka Do Not Enter icon - Your phone can not find a cellular signal to connect to
Circle broken in top right with a plus sign in the middle icon - Data Saver is enabled
Cell with curved arrow icon - Your cell is sha sharing media with nearby devices
Cell phone with rectantgle behind it - Cell is connected to an external monitor or TV using HDMI
Cell phone with exlaimation mark inside triangle - Your cell is in Safe Mode
Cell phone inside round cicle on angle - You cell is using a docking station
Book with arrows pointing left and right icon - Android Beam function is connected to other devices
Bluetooth icon with triangle arrows - Bluetooth i communicating
Bluetooth Icon- cell is tethered to a different device
Battery with Plug Icon - Phone is Plugged In to Charger or USB Port Charger
Battery with Zigzag Lightning Bolt Icon - Battery is Charging
Battery with recycling icon - Power Saving is enabled
Battery Red Exclaimation Mark icon - Battery has less than 5 percent charge
Battery lightning bolt - Cell phone is charging
Battery 100 icon - Battery is fully charged
Alarm Clock icon - Pending Alarm has been set
4GLTE up and down arrow icon - Using Data on 4G network
4G up and down arrow icon - Using Data on 4G network
3 Cell phones with arrows in middle - You cell has started or joined a Group play session
Extra Dim on Android 12
Fan / flower / 4 Blades - Google Photos app icon
R Icon = Roaming - You are on a different carriers network
Diamond Shaped Kite with S in the Middle - Map For E911 Location Services via WiFi
Lightning Bolt and Down Arrow with line download android - Download Booster is On
Cog with Vertical and Horizontal Lines and Eye Dots Icon - Android System Notification Icon
Circle with Horizontal Doubleheaded Arrow - Quick Support Team Viewer
Bed with Moon - Bedtime Mode - Sleep Mode
0 b/s Current Download / Upload Rate - Settings > Status Bar > Turn off Display Network Speed
10 Kilobyte / Second Current Download / Upload Rate - Settings > Status Bar > Turn off Display Network Speed
1 Megabit per Second Current Download / Upload Rate - Settings > Status Bar > Turn off Display Network Speed
Star Icon - Priority Mode Is Enabled - Only Receive Notifications From Your Favorites
Diamond with Horizontal Line and Virtical Line and 3 Waves - GPS for E911 Emergency Location Services are Active
Diamond with Plus Crosshairs Horizontal Line and Virtical Line - GPS for E911 Emergency Location Services
Curved Arrows with Exclamation Mark Between Them - Sign in or Sync Problems
Bent Arrow With Separate Arrow - Split calls to end a conference call
Bent Arrow With Broken Leg - Merge calls to start a conference call
Speedometer Icon - High Performance Mode
Headset Icon - Headset is Connected
3 Dots Between To Angle Bracket Arrow - Bot Designer For Discord
Triangle With Up Pointing Arrow - Android Auto - Color
Triangle With Up Pointing Arrow - Android Auto - Black and White
Round Flower Like Icon With Dot In Middle - Google Chrome
Rund Icon with 3 Mountain Peaks - Nord VPN
Face with Mouth Open Icon - Face Recognition Is Enabled
Signal Strength Bars With Rectangle and 2 Curved Lines Above - Connected To Range Extender Likely From ISP Like Verizon.jpg
Signal Strength Bars With House and 2 Curved Lines Above – Connected To Range Extender Likely From ISP Like Verizo
Rectangular box with curves In bottom left corner - Cast - Push phone screen to a different device like a TV
Moon Crescent Curve - Dark Mode or Light Mode Enabled


View Comments

    • Hi Jenny;

      If you can send me a screenshot of that icon (see our CONTACT PAGE) I will dig into it further, but it sounds like (pun intended) it might be to add more callers to a conference call.

      • my girl told me her phone is not working i see faded white bars all of them are faded and then next to that full WiFi bar all solid white no arrows up and down just the bars so what could be the problem? philippines use load to use a phone and sim cards she did buy a new sim card but still did not work she then tried the card oh her sisters phone and it worked do u have any idea what it could be also what does that mean to have all WiFi bard are full solid white but the signal bars are faded meaning no signal

        • Hi Wolf;

          A few questions may help: Is there any damage on the device? Was it dropped in water? What is the make and model? What is the version of Android?

          I have not seen the icons you describe, but if they are faded IT people would likely call that "greyed out" and likely means that the WiFi is down. What I have seen is icons with a circle and a line through them to indicate a problem, which is not the icon you describe. I would take the device to a retail store or kiosk that supports the brand you have and ask them. As a guess I would suggest that the WiFi has failed (i.e. internal antenna has come loose).

  • I've looked at your icon list several times, but don't see the one I'm looking for. It's a rectangular shape with a black interior and two short vertical lines on each side. What do you think?

Published by
Ian Matthews

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